Study record
Racial differences in circulating mitochondria-derived peptides may contribute to prostate cancer health disparities
Ramirez-Torres A, Reagan AL, Howard LE et al. · Prostate · 2022
What this study reported
Measured three mitochondria-derived peptides in men undergoing prostate biopsy and reported that among controls MOTS-c and SHLP2 were lower in African American than European American men, while humanin was similar. Reported that in European American men higher peptide levels were associated with lower odds of prostate cancer and of both low- and high-grade disease, with null associations in African American men after adjustment for age, body mass index, digital rectal examination and prostate specific antigen.
Limitations
Modest numbers within each race-by-case stratum; single biopsy-based cross-sectional sampling with no repeat measures; race-stratified subgroup comparisons; MOTS-c is one of three peptides and not the primary focus.
Study record
| Study model | Human observational |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | SeveralMore than one of these is central to the paper (common for reviews). |
| Species | human |
| System studied | Men undergoing prostate biopsy; plasma SHLP2, humanin and MOTS-c compared by race and biopsy outcome |
| Population | African American and European American men undergoing prostate biopsy, with and without a prostate cancer diagnosis |
| Design | Case-control study |
| Sample size as reported | 198 men (50 EAM and 49 AAM cases; 50 EAM and 49 AAM controls) |
| Control group | Men undergoing biopsy without a prostate cancer diagnosis |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | plasma MOTS-c; plasma humanin; plasma SHLP2; prostate cancer diagnosis; tumour grade group |
| Pathways measured | Not reported |
| Research areas | Cancer · Mitochondrial biology |
| Evidence tier | B — Other human study |
| Publication types | Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural |
Appraisal
Each dimension is recorded separately and never combined into a single score. A study can be well controlled and still tell you little about people.
- Relevance to MOTS-c
- Direct
- Model applicability
- Human
- Sample size
- Small
- Controls
- Appropriate
- Outcome validity
- Clinical outcome
- Support for its own conclusion
- Moderate
Provenance
- Bibliographic fields retrieved from PubMed E-utilities efetch (title, journal, date, authors, DOI) on 2026-11-11.
- Annotated from the published abstract.
- Editorial review: approved (2026-11-11).
- Classification follows the site methodology; the record describes the study, not what MOTS-c does in people.